The myth and mystery of ancient Egypt
Spanning five thousand years of history, the Egyptian
civilization has always captivated and intrigued us. Even
today, its origins, religion, and monumental architecture
continue to withhold their secrets from Egyptologists determined
to discover them by means of research and the painstaking
deciphering of hieroglyphs.
Around 3,000 BC, the valley of the Nile was taken by
armies from Upper Egypt, who founded a powerful empire which
resisted the onslaughts of history for three thousand years.
Egypt owed its great prosperity to its natural resources:
the Nile, and seemingly inexhaustible mines of gold, copper,
and precious stones.
The Nile, by fertilizing the land around its banks, provided
the agricultural wealth which allowed the Egyptians to fuel
a dynamic economy and create extensive trade relations with
all the kingdoms of the Eastern Mediterranean.
As the Egyptians increased their knowledge, and became
the scholars of their time, Egypt saw major scientific progress
in fields ranging from medicine and geography to astronomy
and mathematics. They studied the stars, to align their buildings
with the points of the compass, and their mathematicians worked
on practical problems such as how to calculate the volum of
a pyramid.
In all fields relating to construction, this civilization
demonstrated a particular genius. The greatest structures
ever built, the pyramids were the fruit of unimaginably ambitious
projects, and testify to the extraordinary talent and vision
of this remarkable people. They took generations to build,
and required the work of tens of thousands of laborers. They
are the most famous monuments of the ancient world, and the
only one of the Seven Wonders to have survived. Erected by
the Pharaohs - the sovereigns of ancient Egypt - in their
search for eternal life, the pyramids were designed to entomb
them with their magnificent treasure.
Thirty dynasties ruled the Empire in their turn, and
the Pharaohs were regarded by their peoples as veritable gods.
According to legend, they were succeeded by the god Horus,
the first King of Egypt.
As a tribue to the legends, the gods, and the enchantment
of this civilization, ST Dupont has created a magical limited
edition, faithfully reproducing the Egyptian codes of the
god Horus, symbolized by a crowned falcon, and Isis and Nephtys
around the holy scarab.
This series features remarkable metalwork in pale gold
- with cornices on the lighters, and the brilliance of Chinese
lacquer encrusted with malachite. It comprises two pocket
lighters - a Line 2 and a small Line 2 - a Jeroboam table
lighter, and two Olympio pens - ballpoint/propelling pencil
and large fountain pen.
The pocket lighters and pens are numbered up to 2575,
in reference to 2572 BC, the approximate date of the construction
of the first pyramid. The table lighter is numbered up to
300.
